maverick Latz08

 Poetry Anthology 2025  Across Latitude & Language brings together voices from across the globe—poets of different races, homelands, and histories, woven together by something quietly powerful: the shared weight of being human. In a world increasingly fractured by borders and conflict, this collection reminds us of the quiet universality of feeling. From the ache of personal loss and unspoken guilt to reflections on vanishing cityscapes and shifting faith, this anthology captures the full spectrum of human experience. Within its pages are poems that grieve, question, remember, and observe—the everyday and the extraordinary. Special Features: Nandana Dev Sen (United States), Shruti Chauhan (United Kingdom) and Saumya Choudhury (India) World Poets: Khushi Jain, Dr Neal Hall, Maahi Kaur Chohan, Akshita Sharma, Moya Roddy Dr Neha Singh, Aditi Sindwani, Mikey Cullen, Shreya B, Ruth Danon, Parii Jain, Aditi Surha, R.W. Haynes, Amit Chatterjee, Mahendra Pal Arya, Kimberly Gibson-...

 Our Faith, our Folly In these alien times, We're simmering As a cauldron, left, On the furnace of faith. The angst, has spilled ov'er, Permeating the atmosphere, Contaminating it, with rancor, Suffusing it with distrust, anger and hate. The disparities are drawn firmly, Widening the chasm, Creation of all the 'Isms' of Cosmos. Peace is a chimera, What will it cost us.. The Earth, the Sky, the last drop of our blood..? We are here on this planet on borrowed time, To inhabit for a while, Not forever, The Eternal and ever present Divinity, Observes our folly, The irony, that we deduce, We're infallible..!

 When one invests in an enterprise, A labour of Love, intense and pure, Focuses on one's aim, vows to decide, Come what may, I'll win  for sure, Scale the High and the Lows, to arrive, In full consciousness, to rise above any lure. To achieve and lose and still survive,  Awaiting patiently, whatever more Has been ordained, granted or denied. To forge ahead, derive strength from core Of Being; unrelenting till the goal is reached.  The dual aspects of worldly success or Failure, Become irrelevant, their impact breached And dwindle to a thing of Folklore. The epiphany, is to actualize Self, To evolve to a composite whole.      

  Recession- A real time reprieve leveraging on EI   “It's a recession when your neighbor loses his job; it's a depression when you lose yours.” Harry S. Truman It is quite mandatory to begin any meaningful and productive discussion with quotes! Recession is the current “Buzz” word that has quite effectively (unlike the Bond Martini) ‘shaken and stirred’ and continues to shape the current road map of Global economy in 2008! The exact dictionary definition of Recession is:” a period of reduced or declining economic activity.” The other terms and aspects synonymous with it are economic meltdown; stock market crash, downsizing and cost cutting. The topical question is : How to weather this storm; which has acquired delusional dimensions? Specifically; to ensure, that this phase is a period of sustainable growth and consistently productive activity for sowing the seeds of future prosperity.   At this juncture, it is relevant to articulate the premise, th...

  Moment of Truth:  Soul Curry 2020:  A Vignette of Life in Pandemic Time. Life's Journey consists of duality: Within and Without. Our interior landscape requires as much nurturing and care as our physical being.    Each one of us has a purpose: a raison D'Etré to live an enriched life. A life, uncluttered by material accoutrements. A Life, however, enriched with simple joys, fulfilled with precious moments and memories.   The lockdown and quarantine, enforced, courtesy the global pandemic, led to minor and major upheaval globally.   It also made one pause and reflect; about our vulnerability and our strengths. It compelled us to engage  in serious soul searching about what was real, relevant and essential. To survive, to live fully and to Live and let live.  The situation in the Global and local context compelled us to review our priorities, choices and decisions. It has taken a toll on all of us. It has also made us more humane.   The ...

 The Divine Design     When grey threads mark Life’s Pattern, And seem not in sync or Align, Trust the One above,   Who has created the whole design.   1. What is it, if not an act of pure love?    A bountiful blessing of the divine; That each carefully chosen thread,   Woven with precision, flawless and fine, Is crafted to a unique and intriguing design.   2.   Whenever gray threads appear, they mark,   The rose threads fairer,   The gold ones brighter, Their impact is vivid, and   Stark, Interwoven through warp, weft & weave, In the temporal fabric, our mortal   Life.  3.  The weaving and the   unravelling,   That occurs within the yarn of   Time , Knits together both grief and Joy, The two sides of the same coin; In the game of dice, are tossed like a toy, What comes to the fore, is our Gift,   One we can't ignore, forgo or Miss;   What lies hidden, isn’t our   Bliss...

 The rendition of symphony in stringing the seven notes is a feat which requires immense creativity, improvisation, skill, talent and dexterity.  Music is nourishment for the senses and the soul.  It transports us from the mundane to the magical.  It stirs our innate self and rejuvenates our parched being, evoking the divine chord . One of the most soul stirring songs penned by Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore is Ekla Cholo Re!  This Soul stirring song implores one to forge ahead,with passion,  faith and courage regardless of any support, it is reflective of Mahatma Gandhi's Indomitable will and Courage under fire... Today,  we celebrate MK Gandhi's 154th birth anniversary we salute his spirit and his steely resolve to gain independence from foreign rule.  The saint of Sabarmati and the poet laureate of Bengal, both are united by their zeal and contribution to our illustrious nation. The Muse and the artist, the leader and the Litterateur evoke Our dee...

 It's the Season of the Year.  It's the Momentous occasion. It's a reason to celebrate.  It's when the Festive spirit imbues everything and everyone.  It's the time of the year to be Joyful.  To be jolly and make Merry... The song echoes, "so this is X'mas and what have you done..?" Are we ready to answer and face the music...?! My earliest memories of X'mas are associated with Mother Margaret, the Head of Convent, Nuns, who sang Hymns, X'mas Carols and Bible reading and the joyous festive season and it's exuberant spirit...We had celebrations and participation and relished Mr. Robertson's yummy X'mas cakes, he and Joan Aunty were my mom's friends, who were the Anglo- Indian members of our family circle.  Lucknow was a rare and polished gem of a city, imbued with plurality and multicultural milieu.  It wasn't cosmopolitan but it exuded Bon Homie and inclusiveness... That was 4 decades, almost a lifetime ago... Today any metr...

How do I love... one can count the ways : Like a Pearl in an Oyster; fathoms deep, Pure, lustrous, rare; for the bravest to reap Like Winter Sunshine, spreading, its rays, The Core of Coconut, with its milky heap, It satiates the parched, dusty and thirsty days How do I love... one can count the ways: Like the fragrance of flowers, wafting, to sweep, Across the green of the valley; it stays Echoing, like a cuckoo's song, haunting and deep, Merging with the rainbow, after an April shower, It’s unlike a sedate garden or a trim rose bower. How do I love... one can count the ways: Like a river; it meanders and flows; It's steady, sure, serene and sweet; Or much like a meteor, when it comes to meet The earth; blazes a trail; as it leaves and goes. It has ofttimes its intense highs or lows. How do I love...  one can count the ways: Despite, distance and dreary times,  It quiet and slow, and like the Bamboo, it’s taken The seven years sabbatical to root; to grow, It refuses to run aw...

We live in enlightened Times; evolved times, a Time when we are yet again at the cusp of History , about to unravel... the next phase. We live in unprecedented times: It's 2020, after all...! "We're ' caught' between the two worlds; One Dead , the other, powerless  to be born". Matthew Arnold, the poet was lamenting the demise of Victorian puritanism and the transition to the 19th century which wrought Industrialisation and a different age. It's relevant today also. The future holds the key to its mystique and the hope and promise of an evolved tomorrow! Yet we don't know if we ; the Humans will survive to be part of that Future. Our planet is on the brink of collapse; environmental issues are ''The burning issues'', literally and figuratively! "We are the Hollow men,   We are  the dead men..." T.S. Eliot in his famous poem by the same name; unravels the human predicament : of modern life and contemporary ti...

 In the annals of History, the year 2020 will be remembered for many reasons and issues.  One of the burning topics of this chequered span of time is Justice For... one and many...! Some are more equal than others; this was exemplified by the legal cases ,filed in the courts: Session; High & Apex court.  The mysterious Case of the death of A Bollywood Star; whose loyal followers, fans, family and friends, staged a massive protest, rallied support from the common public and launched a campaign for Justice for #SSR.  It's still ongoing and has had a monumental impact on the Hindi #Movie Industry.  The detractors & supporters alike have been vocal about it. The social media sites have been abuzz with the implications of the case and it has stirred a hornet's nest, nationwide.  These sites have kept the public updated about various developments of the case ; leading to a lot of skeletons have tumbled out of the cupboard.  Many national security age...

Sublime Soliloquy "This better to echo silence; when words ring Hollow... Silence merges seamlessly at the moment, Why worry about the ‘morrow...? The ineffable, and intangible, connects as it compels;  It dissipates and dispels all our grief and sorrow. The collated experience of Life A revelation, That some are received; others are those that we borrow...! Irrespective of it all; is your presence; evoking, The 'unbearable lightness Of Being', Coursing through the veins, Flowing, Amidst the solitude serene and sublime; A precursor of Joyfulness; ever-growing, Now, Forever and at all times. © ~Latz M~